Secrets
by Luveniar FurElise
Summary: Sequel to Meaning. House learns things about Cameron. HouseCam friendship, maybe more? Complete, move on to Truth next, thanks!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Okay, I've hemmed and hawed about this story, and damnit, I'm gonna post it! It's sort of a sequel to _Meaning_, and I originally posted it for a few minutes as _Secrets in the Garden_. Maybe it's a little fluffy, but since _Meaning_ was post-No Reason, this is my take on House after that, because IMO, I think we'll see some kind of change in him this fall, even if it's just a slight one. I do have a plot; it'll come up later. If you don't like it, go eat poo. If you do like it, please review! (Oh no I'm a poet and I didn't know it. Help!)

**Disclaimer: **I don't own House…..yet. Muhahaha!

GHMDGHMDGHMD

She loved the smell of jasmine in the evening. Suddenly there was a sharp rap on the gate, followed by a jiggle of the latch. The door swung open.

"Your doorbell doesn't work," House said impatiently.

"Yeah I know," Cameron said, carefully placing a marker in the book she'd been reading and getting up from her lounge chair. "I just moved in; that's one of the things on my landlord's to-do list. How did you find me? I haven't even gotten around to getting my paperwork to HR yet."

"I have my ways," he said, observing the patio. There was a trellis across the top of the gate with jasmine growing over it, a ficus tree in one corner, and buttercups in another.

"Jacuzzi?" he asked, eyeing the covered structure to his right. "Nice."

"It came with the place," she explained. "I have no complaints. Is there a new patient at this time of day, or is Wilson out on one of his cute-nurse-dates again?"

He surprised her by producing a shopping bag from behind his back. "Someone told me you acquired a gas grill for your new patio. I wanted to make sure you knew how to use it. Where's the kitchen?"

"It's right through there," she pointed past the Jacuzzi toward the sliding glass door leading to the kitchen. "So you're cooking me dinner?" she asked, amused.

Yes. Do you want a Super-Special Double-Decker House Burger or not?"

Cameron laughed, led him into the kitchen, and began rummaging around for utensils.

"So what have you got there?" she asked, peeking into the bag.

"Gimmie," House said, lightly slapping her hand away from it. He pulled out a box of Bubba Burgers, buns, and a styrofoam container. "That's for later," he said, as he put the mysterious container into Cameron's fridge. "I see you have everything else we need. I'll get the grill started."

She followed House back out to the patio and sat down, a smirk on her face. "So, what are you really doing here?" she asked.

House turned to look at her. "I told you, I'm hungry. I thought you might be too. Now shh! Watch the master at work."

While House busily flipped burgers, Cameron decided to play nonchalant and opened up her book to read. In truth, she was peeking over the top of it, observing him. The first thing she noticed was that his tongue peeked out of the corner of his mouth, as if grilling burgers was some horribly difficult task. Still, it was kind of cute.

They decided to sit outside and eat, enjoying the evening breeze and the scent of jasmine. House finished his burgerand asked her an oddquestion.

"So tell me how you started collecting elephants. Wilson showed me the birthday gift he got you. Why elephants?"

Cameron blushed and pushed her empty plate away. "Well, this is going to sound stupid, but…"

"Impossible," House interrupted with sarcasm, "Nothing you say tonight will be stupid. Unless maybe you start speaking in tongues or something."

"Well," she began, "when I was in high school, the office staff would put some of the lost and found items in the window. So I was walking by one day and there was this big ceramic elephant, painted in a pearly finish. I thought it was pretty stupid that someone could lose something like that, so I marched in there, made up some story about losing it, and walked away with the thing. I still have it; I've collected elephants ever since."

House pondered this for a few moments before he said matter-of-factly, "Well I guess you learn something new every day."

GHMDGHMDGHMD

_It had been about two months since Cameron's birthday, and she and House had gotten together a few times outside of work, no dates or anything fancy, just taking the chance to get to know each other better. It surprised House to learn of Cameron's taste in music being so similar to his own. A year ago he would've pegged her for the classical only type. One particular Sunday morning, they had driven all the way out to Belmar just to eat at Connolly Station, and he'd caught her singing softly along with the radio. The thought briefly crossed his mind that day that maybe he'd have to write a song for her sometime._

_Things at work were pretty much the same as they'd always been as far as patients were concerned, but the six doctors had become just a little bit more like a team, a force to be reckoned with if need be. When Cuddy finally released House from the ICU, they had gathered to congratulate Cameron on officially accepting the offer to replace Dr. Horne as head of Immunology in three years when he retired. Her short experience being in charge of her fellow doctors, added to the fact that, plain and simple, she had House as a boss, had finally made her realize that she could be a leader. She was still a little nervous that the promotion would make her the youngest department head in the hospital, but she was glad to have three years to prepare._

_Since it was finally official, Cuddy scheduled Cameron for eight hours a week working directly with Horne whenever she had time away from Diagnostics. _

_The Ketamine had done well for House, allowing him to rely less upon his cane than ever before. He would still need to use it for the rest of his life, but his pain was nearly nonexistent, and on a good day (usually being a day he spent outside work with Cameron), it seemed as though the pain wasn't there at all. He hadn't had any neurological symptoms so far, and that was one among a few other things he was very grateful for._

_None of them ever talked about the shooting itself. House was still House, and none of the rest of them really felt a need._

GHMDGHMDGHMD

Cameron absently fingered the fire agate House had given her as she sat sipping her coffee. She had woken up early that morning, glad to have a few minutes of peace before heading to work. Her pager went off.

'_Figures,'_ she thought. It was House of course, claiming emergency, when it reality it was probably just that he had arrived early to work and found an absence of fresh coffee. She rolled her eyes with a smile and headed out the door.

Though she and House had slowly grown closer, they both kept the same professional attitude while at work, and each of them respected the other greatly for it. Additionally, they continued to keep each other in check. If Cameron put forth a ridiculous differential, House shot it down as he always had. When House did something bordering on illegal to solve his puzzle, she called him on it.

"We forgot to eat dessert last night," started House as she breezed through the door.

"What?"

"Dessert," he repeated. "The styrofoam mystery package. It was dessert."

She remembered now. "Oh. Well…do you want to come over again tonight for coffee and dessert then?"

"If you insist," he said with a small smile. "But no peeking, it's a surprise."

"On my honor, I swear not to open the mystery dessert," she quipped.

The day went by slowly; they didn't get a case until that afternoon, when a man came into the clinic complaining of a headache and fever. Foreman was on clinic duty that day and had discovered bruises all over the patient's body. "Where did you get these?" he asked. "Play any sports?"

"No," the patient replied. "They just started showing up. And I've had a sore throat for a few days too."

Foreman called in a nurse to have the patient brought upstairs.

"Evan Kresley, age 27," Foreman read from the chart as they sat in the conference room. "Came into the clinic with a headache, fever, sore throat, and spontaneous bruising." He looked at House expectantly.

"Okay," House started. "Differential Diagnosis." He picked up a marker from the table and began scribbling on the white board.

GHMDGHMDGHMD

House let himself through Cameron's front gate at quarter to eight that night. He brought a bottle of sangria, which he had discovered was her favorite. "Hey!" He shouted, noticing that the sliding glass door to her bedroom had been left open a few inches. "I hope you're decent up there," he quipped. "I wouldn't want to give you any ideas." It had been their inside joke since the night of her birthday, _I wouldn't want to give you any ideas. _It didn't make much sense to anyone, including the two of them, but somehow the phrase had stuck.

As he walked inside, he heard U2 quietly streaming from her stereo. He smiled at the fact that she left the doors open all the time. She was an enigma; this free spirit who had for some reason made a conscious decision to ground herself. He shook his head, _I'm becoming a sap, _he thought.

Cameron padded down the stairs in a faded pink sweatsuit with _Pan Am_ printed on the pant leg. "They were my mom's once. It's laundry day," she explained. "Sangria, yum," she smiled. "Is there a special occasion?"

"Not unless you plan on running away to Tahoe with me," House joked. "Come on, my bag's in the car."

"Oh please," she rolled her eyes. "So can I see this mystery dessert now?"

"Right." House went to her fridge and pulled out the container.

"Baklava!" Cameron sighed as he opened it. "That's my favorite. Have you been conspiring with Cuddy? She and I were talking about our favorite desserts the other day…"

"Guilty. But the real surprise is…" he trailed off. "It's…my mom's recipe. I made it." Cameron smiled.

They sat outside again, the air full of jasmine, watching the sunset.

"I smashed my little brother's fingers in a car door when we were kids." Cameron said out of nowhere. "I did it on purpose. I didn't feel sorry. In fact," she said slowly, turning to look at him, "I kind of liked causing him pain."

"Hmm," House pondered. "Well…I hope he got you back for it." He found himself somewhat speechless.

GHMDGHMDGHMD

House came back to his empty apartment later that night and headed straight to bed. Every once in a while, he'd still have dreams about Cameron like the ones he'd had after he'd been shot, and tonight was one of those nights.

_'You're a lucky man, House,' Wilson said. They stood on the small balcony that ran between their two offices. He turned to look at his friend. 'She loves you…with that unconditional love that everyone's always talking about,' he said bitterly. 'Something I never even came close to, just look at my marriage track record. Don't screw it up.' Wilson turned back to his office, and suddenly House found himself on the dock again, his arms wrapped around Cameron, the two of them framed like a postcard against the sunset. 'I always wanted to live up here,' she said, and turned to face him. 'I'm glad you came along.'_


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Well here's chapter two. Much thanks to those who've reviewed. Please review, it makes me happy! This one's a bit shorter than chapter one, but it's the beginning of my main plot. Tell a friend! Just in case you're curious, WF Syndrome is real, much thanks to an infectious disease tutorial I ran across from the Indiana University School of Medicine.

**Disclaimer:** Sadly, I still don't own House. But when I take over the world, that will be my first order of business. Muhahaha!

GHMDGHMDGHMD

The doctors spent the week busy on the new case, running tests and brainstorming until House, as always, came up with the correct diagnosis of Waterhause-Friderichsen Syndrome. They treated Evan with antibiotics and steroids and sent him on his way.

It had been Cuddy's idea to get together that evening, at a little pool hall a couple of blocks away from the hospital called _Mugs._ "I come here every week with my sister. The owners are cool, they'll let us have a table for free." She said as they crowded in through the door. As the group of them settled at a table near the back, Wilson piped up.

"First things first; Cameron, you have any quarters? Let's go hit the jukebox." They headed over to the neon-rimmed box and flipped through the songs.

"So," started Cameron, "Is this what House was like when you met him? He's been…almost…cheerful, at times."

Wilson thought for a moment, "I…wouldn't use the word cheerful. But I guess he _was_ happier. His jokes weren't always sarcastic. In fact, he was in drama in college, putting on comedies, of course. There," he said, making his last selection on the jukebox. Just then, Cameron's cell phone rang. She looked down, surprised to see that it was her brother.

"Go ahead and go back to the table," she said to Wilson. "I gotta take this." She stepped outside where it was a little quieter than the bar.

"Nick?" She answered her phone with the slightest hint of worry.

"Allison, where are you? I've been calling you at home all day." He said with a rush.

"Sorry, we went straight out after work." She hadn't turned on her phone until they'd arrived at the bar since she had to keep it off at the hospital. "What's up?"

"It..it's mom," he paused. "She's…gone."

GHMDGHMDGHMD

After the shock wore off and tears dried up for a moment, Cameron said goodbye to her brother, telling him she'd call him as soon as she got a flight. She slid down and sat on the sidewalk, laying her head in her hands.

Foreman had noticed her do this and slipped outside to see what was the matter.

"Hey, you okay?" He asked, as she looked up at him and blinked.

"No," she whispered. "Can you do me a favor and grab my stuff for me? Just tell everyone I'm not feeling good. I need to go home."

"Do you want to tell me about it?" He asked sincerely.

She closed her eyes. "My mom, she's dead." Saying it out loud felt strange, as if she were in a dream. "Don't tell anyone, especially not House. I'll need to leave in the morning; I'll call Cuddy later. I just…I can't go back in there."

Foreman nodded with understanding and went back inside.

House had gotten impatient and was dividing up teams. "Okay, girls against men. Chase, you have pretty hair, you're on the girls' team," he said straight-faced.

Chase rolled his eyes and went for a cue stick. "Yeah, House, thanks," though he did give a little smirk.

As Foreman went for Cameron's purse and keys, Wilson set his beer down mid-sip. "Wait, what's going on? Who called her?"

Foreman sighed. "I don't know, but she says she doesn't feel good and needs to go home."

Cuddy stepped forward. "Does she need anything? Can she get herself home?" Cameron had become like a little sister to her over the last couple of months.

"Yeah, I think so," Foreman replied. "She said she'd call you…if she needed to take tomorrow off." He finished the lie.

During this conversation, House had been observing quietly. He had seen Cameron answer her phone at the jukebox and head outside. He knew how little her cell phone rang, especially considering the fact that most of the people who would call her were here playing pool. That pretty much left her best friend, who lived in Oregon, or one of her family members. Something was up. Difficult as it was, he let it go for about an hour before he claimed Steve needed to be fed and left.

GHMDGHMDGHMD

Cameron had popped Ani DiFranco into her stereo as soon as she got home and listened with the occasional tear sliding down her cheek as shesearchedfora flight online. She found one for 6:30 in the morning and booked it. Looking at the clock, that gave her roughly five hours to get ready, knowing she wouldn't be able to sleep at all that night. She called a cab to pick her up at four and started packing.

As she stepped out of the shower, she heard the familiar rap on her front door.

"I'm coming with you," was the first thing out of his mouth.

"House," she protested. "This is not something I want to share with you. Wait a second, how do you know I'm going anywhere?"

"Because I know you better than you think, Allison." He said her name. "You're not sick, you're never sick. And besides, if you're not going anywhere, then what's that big blue duffel bag full of your clothes doing right there?" He pointed at the open bag sitting at the base of the stairs.

Knowing House wasn't about to let her tell him no, she called the cab company to cancel and then sat in her favorite chair, not knowing what to do next. Secretly, she was grateful that he was willing to be there for her without even asking what she was leaving for.

Seeing that she had just booked her flight, House booked another one for himself. "You're going home," he said, with an upturn in his voice.

"Yeah," she started to cry again. "My, uh, my mom, she just died this morning. The phone call was from my brother."

House nodded, much as Foreman had earlier, and went to make some coffee for the both of them. He'd been through enough in his own life to know when someone didn't want to talk, so he kept himself busy making sure Cameron had everything she needed packed in her bag and tidying up her apartment so it wouldn't be a mess when she returned. She finally gave a little laugh as she came into the kitchen and caught him recording a new message on her answering machine.

"…so leave a message, and don't hold your breath." He finished.

"Thanks," she said with a sigh. "I guess you need to go home and pack if you're coming with me." She said.

"Nonsense, that's what Wilson's for. Besides, he doesn't have a wife anymore to get pissed when I call him in the middle of the night." He smirked as they heard the gate squeak open and a cautious knock on the door.

Wilson hugged her before he said anything, and then turned to hand House his bag. "I'm sorry, I know you wanted to keep things quiet, but you know House," he explained. "I, however, won't tell anyone anything, unless you want me to."

Cameron thought for a second and said, "No, I guess it's going to come out sometime. Foreman knows already, I'm sure he'll tell Chase tomorrow, and I'll give Cuddy a call before we leave. But if anyone else from work asks, just tell them it's personal. I appreciate it, Wilson." They hugged again and Wilson headed back home.

GHMDGHMDGHMD

The rest of the night was fairly uneventful. Cameron fell asleep on the plane, exhausted, before they even left the gate. House put on his Ipod and fell asleep himself shortly after takeoff. He dreamed again.

'_What's on your mind, House?' Wilson asked. They stood on their office balcony again. 'How can she be so strong now, yet…so fragile?' House turned to look at his friend. 'Because,' Wilson said without pause, 'she's just like you. She's human.' As Wilson walked back into his office, House turned again and saw the ocean. Cameron was standing at the edge of the surf, barefoot. As in dreams gone before, the sun was setting against her silhouette, and he slowly pulled off his shoes to join her. She turned and smiled at the sight of him, barefoot. 'I thought you'd never let go,' she said._


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **I had a tough time writing this chapter. I'm trying really, really hard not to be too fluffy, so please forgive me if this makes you feel soft! And please review, it keeps me going :)

**Disclaimer: **Yep, at this point I think it's safe to say that House owns me.

GHMDGHMDGHMD

They arrived at Sea-Tac airport just past noon; they had been lucky and gotten a non-stop flight. Nonetheless, they were both tired. Cameron had called her brother again before they left and he was there to pick them up at the baggage claim.

"Nick," Cameron ran lightly to her brother and gave him a hug. "How are you? Thanks for coming to get us. Did you get a chance to call Grace for me?" She and Grace had been best friends since the sixth grade; there was nobody who understood her better.

"Yeah, she left this morning. She should be here in a couple of hours." He looked over at House, who was standing back. "You must be Dr. House," Nick said with a grin. "It's nice to finally meet you." He turned back to Cameron. "Are you guys…staying with dad?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

"God, no," Cameron said quickly. "I'm kind of surprised that Dad's even coming to the funeral tomorrow. Besides," she blushed, "we need two rooms, little brother. There's not enough room at dad's house. I thought we'd just stay at the Silverdale Inn since it's right in the middle of town. Maybe…visit some old haunts. I didn't book my return flight for a week, thought I'd see the place again." The slightest hint of sorrow was in her voice.

House had remained pretty quiet on the trip from the airport. He took in what little there was to see, and as they moved out of the city, he started to notice the broad, full evergreens, the mountains that were still slightly snow-capped even in summer, and the crisp, dark water of the canals and inlets they passed. He smiled to himself and thought _she's a small-town girl, alright. _It was refreshing to know that her innocence wasn't the spoiled rich girl type. Although he and Cameron had learned more about each other over the past couple of months, when it came to her family and her childhood, she had been reluctant to talk much about that part of her life. _Wilson's right…_ he thought with a frown.

GHMDGHMDGHMD

"Don't worry about the funeral, Al," Nick reassured his sister as they checked into the hotel. "I've got all of that taken care of. I'll pick you up around nine-thirty tomorrow." He turned to House. "Good to meet you again, Doc. Later."

Of course, Cameron and House had ended up with rooms that had an adjoining door. House bent down to look at the keyhole. "Do you use bobby pins in your hair? I wonder if I can pick this lock." His eyes narrowed. "Gotta take advantage of you sometime, or else people will really think I'm crazy." He stood up, turned around, and suddenly found himself in the middle of a shaky hug.

Cameron stepped back from it quickly, tears shining on her cheeks. She laughed. "You never fail, House. Cracking a joke when everything else…sucks. Thanks." He could almost see the child she must have been. He wanted to know more about her mom, but didn't ask. She would tell him when she was ready. He handed her a tissue from the box in the bathroom.

"So let's get out of here," he suggested. "We don't have a car, but I assume from the size of this town that there's somewhere within walking distance that we can go." He looked out the window at the gray inlet beyond the hotel.

Cameron sat in a chair, absently biting her nails. "Yeah," she said plainly. "There's a little park not too far from here; I spent a lot of time there as a teenager. There's not much to do in this town." She stood up and gathered her purse. "Let's go."

They walked along the inlet until they came to the park. Cameron, not surprised, noticed that it hadn't changed much since the last time she'd been there more than ten years ago. She walked along to a pier and followed it out over the water, almost in a daze.

"This isn't the same place we were in my dream," House said to himself. "I wonder where that is?"

Cameron turned, her long hair blowing in the breeze. "What?" She asked.

House looked up. "Oh, nothing," he said quickly. "Just thinking out loud. Are you going to go down to the dock?"

"Yeah," she nodded and headed down the ramp. Even the dock was the same; only three rows. There were clusters of barnacles popping in and out of view on the support posts as the water moved the dock up and down. She walked out to the end of the third row of tie-ups and gingerly sat down. She rubbed her fingers along the faded marks where some kids had probably written the initials of their crushes with a permanent marker. She smiled, remembering the antics she had once been a part of. They seemed like another life.

House quietly sat down next to her and folded his cane into his lap.

Cameron started talking as she looked out across the water. "My mom was diagnosed with Depersonalization Disorder when I was twelve." She sighed. "She went on meds, but no matter what they tried, nothing worked very well. When I was fifteen, she left us. Told my dad she didn't love him, hadn't loved him for years." Cameron had no tears left; she spoke as if she were talking about someone other than herself. "It was my aunt who finally put her in the hospital. She has three kids of her own, a life, a job; my mom was wasting away. She didn't care about anything anymore." House quietly took her hand as she trembled again. "I guess she'd been palming her meds for the past few weeks; my brother said she died of a seizure." She laid her head on House's shoulder and they sat for a while in silence.

GHMDGHMDGHMD

Later that afternoon, they sat at a diner across the street from the hotel for an early dinner when Cameron jumped at the sight of her best friend coming in through the door. "I knew I'd find you here," Grace said as the two women hugged fiercely. "Have you gone to see your dad yet?"

"No, you know him. He's just like me; he knows how I feel and that I'll…get through it. You remember how it was with Joe." She spoke briefly of her husband. Another memory that seemed older than it really was. "I'll talk to him tomorrow." She turned to House. "This is my boss," she smirked. "He insisted on coming with me."

"So you're the one who knows all of Cameron's little secrets," he said, lightly taking Grace's offered hand. "Sit. Spill it."

The three of them talked for the better part of an hour about nothing in particular, laughter surprisingly peppering the conversation.

"I know I've told you this a million times over the years," Grace said after House had excused himself to the restroom, "but you must be insane. He's…old." She grimaced.

"You sound just like Chase. Maybe I should give you his number. Anyway, yeah, so he's older than me. It's been over a year since the date we had. I'm not looking for anything here anymore. I just need a friend." Cameron sighed. "The only people who know me better than he does after all this time are you and Nick. And the two of you are so far away…" she trailed off.

Grace came around the table and gave her friend another hug. "I know sweetie. I miss you too. I'm glad you have someone close by that you can trust." At that moment, House came back and picked up the check.

"Don't even argue with me, Cam," he said before she could protest. "It's the least I can do. Now I know it's early, but maybe you should get some rest. Let's get back to the hotel."

They said goodbye to Grace and headed back across the street. Too tired to argue, Cameron changed for bed while House went to his room to call the front desk. "This is room 247, we have an inter-room door and were wondering if we could go ahead and get that key." He glanced at the door, thinking to himself. "And I'd like to change the credit card number you have on the account. Yes, I'll be down in a minute to confirm and get the key. Thank you." He hung up.

Cameron was settling into bed with a book when she heard the rap on the door. She padded softly across the carpet. "House, I'm in bed, I promise. How am I supposed to sleep if you're going to interrupt…" she stopped as she opened the door. House looked up at her from a cart full of dessert.

"One of each," he smirked. "Time like these call for drastic measures. You can only have them if you share."

"House, you're one of a kind," she smiled as she let him in.

After they had filled themselves of pie, cake, and other sweets, Cameron crawled under the covers as House switched off the light for her. "You're reading Sherlock Holmes?" He asked, noticing the volume on the nightstand. "Interesting."

"Yeah," she yawned. "I've never read those before." She closed her eyes and was almost immediately asleep.

House moved to take the dessert cart and place it outside the door. He was about to leave when he changed his mind, pulled up a chair to the end of Cameron's bed, and watched her in the faint moonlight for a few moments before falling asleep himself.

_'Tell her I'm sorry," she said. She looked like Cameron, only older and frailer. 'I never told her that. I've lost so many years, trapped by this…disease.' House guessed that this was her mother. Funny how dreams work; he had never seen her, never met her. 'She told me about you,' the woman continued. 'She never came to see me, but she called me on the phone. On my birthday. I couldn't remember when I was alive.' House nodded, and turned back to Cameron, who sat on the dock again, crying._


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Sigh. This one is fluffy. Choppy. Probably angsty too. I'm having a steadily harder time writing this. Maybe it's a good thing.House is uncomfortable with his relationship with Cam, so am I.But I will keep on keepin' on, and if you like it then I did good.

**Disclaimer: **Nope, not today.

GHMDGHMDGHMD

House had woken around two in the morning with some pain in his leg from the awkward position he'd fallen asleep in. Using the key to the adjoining door, he returned to his room and slept the rest of the night dreamless in his own bed.

The next morning Nick picked them up for the funeral. The service was pretty basic; a few hymns, Psalm 23. Cameron's father and his family were the ones who believed in God. It was just as well, another person in her life dead and gone. The sad thing was that she'd mourned over her husband all those years ago more than she mourned over her own mother now. At least the weather was beautiful as they stood on a grassy hill saying goodbye.

After the service was over and most everyone had gone, Cameron lingered over her mother's grave and wondered what life might have been like had her mother not been sick.

"Hey, kiddo," her dad said. As different as they were, his voice always brought her comfort. "How are you?"

Cameron turned. "I'm okay, dad." Suddenly she smiled. "What about you? Any interesting dates lately? I've been so busy at work, I'm sorry I haven't called you in a while."

"I understand," he smiled back. "And no, no dates. But I see you came with one."

"Dad," she said sharply, "he is _not _my date." House, of course, walked up at just that moment. "Dad, this is Dr. House, my boss. House, this is my dad."

"Your daughter…saved my life a couple of months ago." House said without fanfare after shaking hands.

"I see. Well when she _does_ call," her dad said with a wink, "Allison speaks very highly of you. I…appreciate you flying all the way out here to keep her company."

House looked down sheepishly. "It's no problem at all." He looked at Cameron as her brother came up behind them.

"Ready to go to?" Nick asked.

Cameron glanced between these three men in her life and sighed. "Nick, could you do me a favor? Just…tell grandma and everyone that I'm not feeling well." She paused. "I need some time to think. Dad, do you think you could lend me the truck for the rest of the week? I'd like to go for a drive."

"Sure, kiddo, I think I can do that. I'll take you two up to the house." Her dad nodded and went to bring his car around.

Cameron gave her brother a long hug. "I'll call you later. Thanks."

GHMDGHMDGHMD

After talking with her dad for a while and promising to be careful, Cameron and House climbed into an old army green 1957 Chevy. "Watch the ceiling," she said to House. "It's rusted, it flakes off pretty easily." They started back to the hotel.

"Well now I see where you got your good taste in music," he smiled. "And where that great smile came from." He paused. "Brace-face."

"House!" Cameron's mouth dropped. "I was in the bathroom for five minutes and he showed you a picture of me with braces?"

"It was sitting right there on the desk," he explained innocently. "Adorable. I won't tell a soul. Except Wilson. And maybe Cuddy." He pretended to think about it very seriously. "Actually, I think something like that needs to be in your file," he turned to look at her. "Why didn't you include this information in your fellowship application?"

Cameron surprised House by smacking him in the shoulder. Then she frowned and sat quietly for a moment, concentrating on the road. "Do you think it's wrong that I'm sitting here laughing when my mom's just been buried? I don't…feel sad anymore." Her voice became a whisper. "I don't know for sure if I ever did."

As they pulled into the hotel parking lot, House placed his long hand over hers on the steering wheel. "Death is different every time," he said slowly. "Therefore, it affects people differently, every time." He attempted to lighten the mood again. "See, aren't you glad I came? What would you do without a little comic relief?"

"Yeah," she said absently. "Okay, I need to grab some things from upstairs and then we can go." She walked quickly.

"Cameron!" House yelled after her. "Where are we going?"

She turned with her hand on the door and smiled that great smile. "Up to my grandparents' lake house. Just for the rest of the day. Do you need anything? Give me your key."

"No, I'll come up myself. Wouldn't want you to get any ideas," he grinned.

GHMDGHMDGHMD

After gathering what they needed for the day and stopping at the Red Apple grocery to fill a cooler full of drinks and sandwich fixings, Cameron pulled the truck south onto highway 3.

"Does this thing even get FM?" House asked, fiddling with the radio.

"Yeah," Cameron laughed. "Turn it to 95.7, they play classic rock." She stated simply.

They rode for a while just listening to music. House took in the sight of seagulls dipping in and out along the canal, rocky beaches, and the occasional boat. About thirty minutes into the ride, Cameron pointed in front of him. "That right there is Bill Gates' summer house, or something like that." She shrugged. "I guess it's impressive to some people."

The song changed to Fleetwood Mac's _Landslide._ House softly drummed his fingers on the door, his ears perking up when he heard Cameron begin to sing along. He looked over and Cameron blushed when she saw him smiling at her.

"Sorry," she said. "I always sing in the car. Just not usually when other people are with me."

"Not true," he replied smugly. "I've heard you before. Remember that day we went out to Belmar? Besides," he added, "your voice is decent. Don't stop singing on my account." He turned again to look out the window.

Another hour or so had them pulling up in front of a little A-frame shop. They were already on the grounds of the lake, 'Lake Cushman,' House had read on a sign. Cameron parked and hopped out of the truck. "I'm just going to get something I forgot on the way out. Need anything?" She asked.

"Nope." House watched her walk to the front door, smiling to himself. He was beginning to realize that for someone so much younger than him, Cameron had an old soul, as if she belonged in another time. But then again, she was quirky, silly, and…_truly gorgeous,_ he thought. _What am I doing?_

She came back a few minutes later with a plastic bag full of…"What are those?" He asked, wrinkling his nose.

"Airheads!" She grinned. "Cheap taffy…I love 'em."

GHMDGHMDGHMD

They arrived at the cabin a few minutes later. It was a real log cabin, two stories, and solid. "My grandpa, my mom's dad, built this from the ground with help from some of his friends on the reservation. If he ever did one good thing in his life, this is it. He carved my name in the side, with my brother and my cousins' names too." She dug her hand into a planter that sat next to the front door and came out with a little plastic bottle that held a key. "There's no TV or food here, but at least we can use a real toilet," she explained as she unlocked the door.

House noticed that from the time they'd left the funeral until now that Cameron had…changed. She was like a child, wide-eyed and innocent, a characteristic he'd taken for granted when she had first started working for him.

"You're an enigma," he said as she walked through, testing the sinks and taking a rag to a cobweb here and there.

"What?" She stopped and gave him a strange look.

He closed his eyes for a moment, mentally kicking himself and wondering why now, of all times, he was starting to lose his cool. "Nothing. So where's the lake?" He finally asked.

"Let's get the cooler inside and then we'll go down. Do you feel up to walking? It's only about a mile from here, but the road is hilly."

"No, we can walk, it's okay." He realized he hadn't thought about his leg or felt any pain since that morning when he'd woken in the chair next to her bed at the hotel.

As they walked to the lake, Cameron pointed out some of the other cabins and homes that sat nestled between the pine trees. They came to the top of the first hill and saw the Olympic Mountains. Cameron smiled. "It's always so beautiful here," she sighed. "It's been way too long since I came up here. My brother and I used to ride our bicycles down these hills; we thought we were faster than light back then. I always wanted to live up here." She turned around to look at him, walking backwards for a while. "I'm glad you came along."

His eyes widened. She had said that in a dream. And that was when they finally came over another hill to the dock, the same one they had been standing on so many times in his dreams, the one where she'd said that to him.

_Okay, Wilson, where are you now? _He thought, secretly terrified.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **So this one's a little short, but I wanted to keep certain things together in one chapter. I think the next chapter might be the last one, but I'm not sure. And I had an idea rolling around for a third story continuing this the other day, but now I've forgotten it. We'll see what happens. Also, to Enjoy for now!

**Disclaimer: **Um, oh yeah, that's right, I don't own House.

GHMDGHMDGHMD

"I came here a lot as a kid. When we were a family." Her words echoed the dreams he'd had after he'd woken up in the ICU two months ago. She ambled down the boat ramp to the edge of the small, square dock attached to it and sat down. "After my mom left, we didn't come up here anymore, so I came by myself. It's a great place to think, so quiet and full of memories. That was the beginning." She looked up at him and thought she saw a hint of fear in his eyes. "She lied, House. Sickness or not," she looked back out across the lake, dark even in summer, "she lied to me."

"Everybody lies," he said simply and quietly as he sat down next to her. "Cameron, I…"

She cut him off, "House, why? Why does everybody lie?" She searched his face for hope. "Mothers…lie to their children. People lie to their best friends." She sighed, a hitch in her breath. "And I lied to Joe. I lied to myself."

This wasn't the time, he knew. Not the time to tell her the way he thought he was starting to feel. "Your mother loved you." He said. "Maybe she was sick, maybe she wasn't. But she loved you."

She sat for a moment, dipping her fingertips into the cool water, making ripples. "I used to paint my nails blue," she said. "It's my favorite color."

"Yeah, I think you told me that once." He smiled.

They sat in silence for a while. House had never found silences comfortable until recently, and even then, the only ones he could tolerate were with her. His dreams had started to blur into reality, and he couldn't remember anymore what they'd said to each other in reality or in dreams. He was fairly certain that it didn't matter.

The sun had always seemed to set early in the mountains to Cameron, and that day was no exception. As the sky turned from a light, breezy blue to golden and pink, she suddenly pulled a pack of cigarettes out of her pocket and lit one. "I used to smoke, in college," she said. "Pretty stupid for a med student, right?"

House glanced at her. "Gimmie," he said, and pulled another out of the pack, lighting it. "I used to smoke, too."

GHMDGHMDGHMD

Soon after the sun had dipped below the mountain peaks, they walked back to the cabin to use the bathroom before heading out. "Want me to drive?" he asked, his eyebrows raised.

"Not this old bucket," She said. "Besides, I may be a grown woman, but my dad will still have a cow. Let's get going."

They drove mostly in silence again, Cameron occasionally humming or singing to the radio and House staring out the window, lost in thought. At some point he dozed off, leaving Cameron to snicker at his light snore.

'_So,' Wilson said, clapping him on the back. 'Now do you see what I've been trying to tell you all along? What you've been trying to tell yourself, really, because I'm not really here.' And then he was gone. House was alone, on the water, in the dark. He didn't see any lights, but he thought he knew where to find one now._

GHMDGHMDGHMD

Cameron slowed as she finally neared the hotel. She looked over at House, who was still sleeping. She had never really known anyone who had been so selfless for her, she realized. Her Dad and brother, sure, but that was a no-brainer. And Joe…he was dying, she hadn't expected anything from him. The more she thought about it, the more she accepted that it had been years ago, and it was time to move on. But _House? _She had been down this road before, and crashed.

She sighed, reaching over to wake him up. "House," she whispered. "We're back."

He looked up at her with those crystal blue eyes and smiled. "Okay."

After they had gotten back to their hotel rooms and settled for the night, Cameron stood in House's doorway in flannel pajama pants and a t-shirt. "Well, we have one more whole day before we have to fly back." She looked at him with hopeful eyes. "Why don't we drive out to the beach? It's about four hours from here, so if we leave early we can make it a day. What do you think?"

"Sure," he nodded. "Cameron?" She half-turned to look at him and he wasn't completely sure whether he was dreaming or not. "The promotion was my idea." Her eyes widened a little. "I told you, you're a damned good doctor. Wouldn't want to waste your whole career working for me, right?"

"I like working for you," she said plainly. "But thank you…for believing in me. I appreciate it."

"Yeah, yeah. Now get to bed. I assume you'll want to wake me up at the crack of dawn. I need my beauty sleep." He rolled over and shut the light off.

Cameron padded back to her room and went to bed. She slept restlessly, until sometime in the night she woke up…and thought she saw House, standing near the doorway. _I must be dreaming_, she thought, and then she smiled and went back to sleep.

GHMDGHMDGHMD

After Cameron had left his room, House rolled over again onto his back and lay there, unable to sleep, for the better part of an hour. Finally, he got out of bed to pace for a while. When his leg began to ache, he sat down at the little table, pulled some blank sheet music and a pencil out of his bag, and began to write. He always carried these things with him when he went on long trips; he never knew when inspiration would strike. He stared out the window at the moonlight reflecting off the bay, soft waves lapping the rocky shore. When he had filled an entire page of notes, he got up and slowly made his way through the door connecting their rooms. He hadn't thought she could look any more beautiful, but when she was sleeping…her fear was gone from her face, she was just herself. He sighed and wondered how he'd gotten himself so wrapped up in her. Suddenly she stirred. House waited until she was still again and went back to his room and slept.

_They sat in his apartment, his comfort zone; House at the piano nursing a drink and Wilson relaxed on the sofa. 'Wilson, I'm in love with her,' he sighed and shook his head. 'She's my employee. She's my…friend. And now I'm in love with her. What do I do?' Wilson stood up and paced for a moment, finally resting his arm on the mantle. 'Just…let go,' he said simply._


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **So sorry it has been so long! I've been struggling with how to end this story, and I just finally decided to keep it pretty simple. I also had to tend to my daughter and husband, who have been sick with a nasty cold over the weekend, and Iheard from a couple of long-lost friends, so I've been catching up with them. A lot of this story has been based on some of the places I have fond memories of, and so maybe that got in the way of my writing. Anyway, feel free to throw tomatoes, because Idefinitely feel like I could have done better. This is the last chapter, and I'd like to continue my story, but I don't know if I have it in me. Please review, good and bad, and lots of thanks to those of you who've been enjoying and reviewing!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own House, but sometimes I think I know how he feels

GHMDGHMDGHMD

Somehow, House managed to get up and get ready without much fuss after Cameron had cheerfully shown up at his door before dawn. Without fanfare, they hit the road at quarter to six.

"Don't worry about breakfast," Cameron said after they were on the road. "I know a place." She smiled, and House noticed that her eyes were shining.

"You're looking extra chipper this morning," he mused.

"Yeah," she smiled a little and he thought he saw her blush. "I…had a good dream," she said slowly. "I slept good."

House nodded and turned back to look at the road pass them by. The trip itself was pretty uneventful; they stopped at a little diner for breakfast and listened to music, chatting here and there in between songs, until they reached Ocean Shores just past eleven. It was a sleepy beach town, not too many people, but enough to make it interesting. Cameron pulled the truck right down to the beach and parked in the soft sand. She sat back and stared at the ocean for a moment.

She smiled wide, "I love it here. I haven't been out here in a long time. It's so…powerful, the edge of the world."

"Yeah," House became a little uncomfortable. He was starting to feel like he'd invaded her world but whatever happened now, it had been worth it. He knew that he had to tell her he loved her before they went back to Jersey, back to reality. "So..what's there to do here?" He finally asked.

"Well," Cameron thought for a moment, "we could go for a horseback ride. There's also an arcade down the beach a ways." She frowned. "There's go-carts a few miles south of town, but…" She wondered about his leg for the first time in a week; it made her feel selfish.

"Sure," House said, "let's do that. I'm paying." He grinned. "Then we can come back to the beach. We have all day," he added.

Cameron bit her lip and grinned back at him. "Okay," she agreed, as she pulled back out onto the road.

When they got to Go-Kart World, Cameron looked back at House with a worried face. "Are you sure you want to do this?" She paused. "Your leg – "

"My leg is fine," he interrupted her. And it was; being with her really had made his pain lessen. He squinted at the go-carts. "Although I may be too tall to get into one of those things. Oh well, let's go."

They happened to be the only people there; the day was cool and a bit cloudy, typical of the north Pacific shore, even in summer. House quickly lapped Cameron more than once, and decided to have some fun. He lightly bumped the back of her cart and then sped off. Cameron furrowed her eyes and sped up.

"I'll get you for that!" She yelled over the noise. She looked like a little kid in her helmet and with a silly grin on her face, but she managed to catch up to House and bump him back, harder.

They rode around the track for about an hour or so, laughing and having a good time. It reminded House of the time they'd gone to the monster truck show, and for a moment he regretted that he hadn't asked her back out after that. _It wasn't the right time,_ he reminded himself. _I wasn't ready. I am now. Why'd I have to get shot to figure this out?_

GHMDGHMDGHMD

After eating a late lunch at a nearby Mexican restaurant they headed to the arcade. "The best part about this place is that there's a little photo booth in it, takes two polaroids for a few bucks," Cameron explained. "What do you say?" Her smile was one that could melt hearts.

House pondered this for a moment. He'd never really liked getting his picture taken, but he wanted a memory of this day, before he screwed it up for good. "Okay," he said, "as long as I get to keep both pictures." He smirked.

"House," Cameron said, "don't be a jerk," she joked. "Come on!" She grabbed his hand, her hands were soft, and dragged him into the tiny booth.

The two of them squirmed around a bit before House surprised Cameron by pulling her onto his lap. "Cheese!" He exclaimed.

Cameron was surprised at the smile he'd put on for the camera. It almost seemed as if he were…happy.

GHMDGHMDGHMD

They made their way to the beach again, just the two of them sitting in the soft sand. It was almost sunset. Cameron was deep in thought, remembering times past that she had visited this shore. Somehow, none of those times compared to right now. She'd known House a long time and had never imagined that they'd be sitting here together. She was happy she could consider him her friend, but at the same time saddened a little, that it could never be more than that. It was strange, how you could love someone and not really know them, how feelings could surge, fade, and then reappear.

"I was so afraid I'd lost you that day," she said almost to herself.

House had been listening to the waves. "What?" He turned to look at her, his blue eyes the color of the sea.

"What?" She still remembered that day, the day he'd been shot, like it was yesterday. _I'm horrible,_ she thought. _My mom just died and all I can think about…is him. _"House.." she didn't know what to say anymore. "You're…my friend," she spoke cautiously. "When that guy shot you…"

"Cameron," he surprised himself by taking hold of her by the shoulders. "Don't think about that anymore. It's done; it's over with. I'm still here." He let go, afraid that to touch her would give him away.

Suddenly she got up, kicked her shoes off, and trotted down to the water, her hair flying in the wind. House stood up and shaded his face from the sun. Cameron turned around, her feet now awash. "House!" She shouted with a smile. "Come on!"

As in dreams gone before, the sun was setting against her silhouette, only this time it was real. He knew he couldn't keep it in any longer. He slowly pulled off his shoes and walked down the beach to join her. She turned smiled at the sight of him, barefoot. When he caught up to her, he grabbed her into an embrace. He cupped her face in his hands and just stared. She was wide-eyed, a classic beauty. _Say it now, or you'll never be able to_, he thought to himself. "Cameron?" It came out as a question. "I love you." As simply as he'd say anything, he finally put it out there. He waited, his heart pounding in his chest like it hadn't in years. He felt alive again.

"I thought you'd never let go," she said with a smile, and closed her eyes as he gently kissed her. _I've found meaning._

GHMDGHMDGHMD

**Post Note: **Please go to hellomagazine dot com and vote for Hugh Laurie as June's most attractive man!


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